How Can We Turn a Science Exhibition on a Really Success Outreach Activity?

How can we turn a science exhibition on a really success outreach activity? a a A.M.M. Farrona , R. Vilar a Institute of Physics of Cantabria, Edificio Juan Jordá, Avda. De los Castros, S/N, Santander, 39005, Spain Abstract In April 2013, a CERN exhibition was shown in Santander: “The largest scientific instrument ever built”. Around the exhibition, were proposed several activities: guide tours for children, younger and adults, workshops, film projections… In this way, the exhibition was visited by more than two thousand persons. We must keep in mind that Santander is a small city and it population does not usually take part in outreach activity. With this contribution, we want to teach the way in which it is possible to take advantage of science exhibitions. It made possible to show the Large Hadron Collider at CERN experiment to the great majority of Santander population, and to awaken their interest in or enthusiasm for science. Keywords: Outreach, science exhibition, enjoy with science, guided visits Aware of the importance of all this, the Institute of 1. Introduction Physics of Cantabria has carried out a great effort in order to bring to the city and profit science The present society is highly reliant on Exhibitions. We organize a set of different proposals technological achievements. Transportation, around them, to enhance the potential learning from communication, food, learning, even the way we them, these events varies from guided tours for interact with each other is changing at dramatic speed students and general public, talks, contexts, etc. These due to technological advances. This progress is made activities have always attracted a lot of people. possible thanks to our deeper understanding of the In April 2013, a CERN exhibition was shown in laws of physics, mathematics and engineering among Santander: “The largest scientific instrument ever other disciplines, fields which also have experienced built”. A framework of activities as described above great progress in the last 100 years. The future is was set for it, and the exhibition was visited by more pulling for this direction and the basis of that future is than two thousand persons, when usually this type of the children of today's present. Because of this, it is of exhibition does not have more a few dozens of people. enormous importance for general public to get exposed The objective of this work is to show how to profit to science and get them to appreciate as a motorlife of from science exhibitions to a huge outreach event in a a high standard of life. small city as ours. It made possible to show the Large In this way, exhibitions offer us a great opportunity Hadron Collider at CERN experiment to the great to show and provide science. In according with this majority of Santander population, and to awaken their idea, as Caulton (1998) said, “the growth of hands-on interest in or enthusiasm for science. museums and science centres has been one of the most remarkable features of the leisure industry in the last decade, with almost every new exhibition proposal today incorporating an interactive element for visitors”. 2. LHC: “The largest scientific instrument ever In terms of the technical features of the exhibition, built”, an exhibition by CERN. General the absolute minimum floor space required is 130 m2. characteristics Ideally we should be looking at a minimum of 150 m2, which allows to have additional material At CERN, during the past few years, increasing (objects/hardware) placed around the expo, if required. efforts have been made to improve awareness in the Also it enables visitors to move more freely. general public of the importance of natural science to The room should have an absolute minimum width everyone. As a result of an increased awareness of the of 8.00 metres. And about the minimum height importance of outreach activities, many activities have requirement is 3.00 metres, but I prefer at least 3.20 m. been proposed, such as permanent and travelling exhibitions. In this form, it was created the exhibition calling “LHC: the largest scientific event built”. This 3. The exhibition in Cantabria region exhibition is a journey inside the largest scientific experiment ever constructed. It was an initiative of the 3.1. Cantabria region European project Pathway, in which the Institute of Physics of Cantabria participated. Firstly, it is important to make a stop and review In Spain, the exhibition was organized by the some significant characteristic that we should keep in National Center for Particle, Astroparticle and Nuclear mind. Cantabria is a Spanish historical community Physics (CPAN). They coordinated it in this country with Santander as its capital city. According to the (http://www.i-cpan.es/expocern/). Nevertheless, this 2011 Census, the region has a population of more than exhibition was not limited to Spain, but took place five hundred thousand which constitutes 1.29% of the across Europe. population of Spain. From a geographical point of This exhibition blends theatre, video and sound view, it is a small region. Specifically, Santander has recreating a visit to the famous particle physics 177000 people with this number of 25202 kids. laboratory. It is composed by scenes to witness the Until recently, in Cantabria, general public was not uncovering of the Higgs boson, explore the 27-km very receptive to participate in outreach activities. For collider and its cathedral-sized detector caverns. The this reason, in order to change this, at IFCA (Institute exhibition allows to general public discover how of Physics of Cantabria), have been organized many studying the subatomic world can point the way to a activities for general public, covering practically every fuller understanding of our universe. The exhibition age, with different proposal and formats (master explains, on one hand, how the Large Hadron Collider classes, workshops, talks, scientific cafes, guided (LHC) works, an instrument located at the main office tours, exhibitions, etc.) of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), in Switzerland. 3.2. The exhibition in Santander th 2.1. Characteristic of the Exhibition: LHC: “The On 4 April 2013, the exhibition “LHC: The largest largest scientific instrument ever built”, an scientific instrument ever built” was opened in exhibition by CERN Cantabria, specifically in Santander. It was exhibited for three weeks: from that day, 4th April, to 24th April. In short, the exhibition covers the following The exhibition was situated in a public library of aspects: Cantabria (Central Library of Cantabria - Biblioteca - Spanish participation in the largest particle Central de Cantabria, http://bcc.cantabria.es/), a place physics laboratory of culture, with many users per day of all ages. It was - CERN´s four experiments for this reason because we chose the library as the - Main characteristic of CERN perfect place to situate the exhibition. The public - CERN´s basic research programs and their opening time was from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m, from Monday applications to Friday; by contrast, on Saturdays, the public The explanation comes complete with video opening time was from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. projection and several different materials related to The exhibition was very successful: around 100 particle accelerators. users visited the exhibition per day. 3.3. The awareness campaign opening event, which took places on 4th April. The opening event was composed by a short lecture about The awareness campaign was designed to ensure the future of CERN. Teresa Rodrigo was the person in optimum community impact. This provides the charge to this short lecture, where the research´s future opportunity to engage directly with members of on Particle Physics, having in account the complex community and influential community organizations. economic context and the crucial achievement that As previously was stressed, Santander is a small city meant the discovery of the Higgs boson made by the and it population does not usually take part in outreach LHC. activity. For this reason it was so important the Here, a brief summary of the remaining lectures is awareness campaign to attract people and make them shown: part of the proposed project. - Lecture 1: In this way, our awareness campaign covered the Title: “Why you should build the European following aspects: Extremely Large Telescope, and why Spain has - It were designed a poster and folded sheet. to participate” - Letters and e-mails were sent to school, Speaker: Xavier Barcons (IFCA) institute, and several organizations Participants: 91 - Social networks were used and constantly Date: 8th April 2013 updated. - Lecture 2: - Press release were edited and published. Title: “The formula that describes the world” - Finally, we published the exhibitions and Speaker: Sven Heinemeyer (IFCA) the proposal activities in cultural calendars Participants: 73 at the city. Date:16th April 2013 - Lecture 3: Title: "We still do not know anything" 3.4. Activities Speaker Jesús Marcos de Lucas (IFCA) Participants: 86 The exhibition was complemented by several th activities proposed around it. They were the reason by Date:18 April it was visited by more than two thousand persons. - Lecture 4 Guided tours to the exhibitions and lectures were Title: “From CERN to society: Inventing for offered to groups of students, organizations and to the you” general public, respectively. Film projections were Speaker: Iván Vila (IFCA) proposed too. Participants: 84 th Date: 22 April Guided visits - Lecture 5 There is not doubt that daily guided visits were very Title: “Higgs Bosson” successful. This would not have been possible without Speaker: Alberto Casas (CSIC) the collaboration of the researchers at the institution Participants: 120 that work at CERN. All guided visits were done by Date: 23th April them: more than 15 scientists were involved from the Particle Physics’ researchers group at IFCA.

Load more